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Tuesday, February 21, 2012

The Battle of Bunker Hill

The Revolutionary War had begun in April, 1775, and British troops
controlled Boston. The Americans
controlled the surrounding countryside, and they knew that the British wanted
to take Charlestown, just across the Charles River from Boston. On the night of June 16, twelve hundred
American troops moved to fortify Bunker’s Hill in Charleston.

Throughout the night, the Americans feverishly dug trenches to
protect them if attacked. At dawn,
British General Thomas Gage ordered his ships to fire cannons at the American
fortifications. The cannons failed to
hit their target, but Gage sent 2,000 troops across the river anyway.

The Americans were short of gunpowder. Colonel William Prescott, their commander,
ordered them to hold their fire “until you see the whites of their eyes.” As the British charged, sudden fire from the
Americans cut them down. The British
charged a second time and were forced to retreat. During the third attack, the Americans ran
out of gunpowder, and the British took the hill. But the battle gave hope to the Americans. The British suffered 1,000 casualties, twice
as many as the Americans. And it was
clear that the inexperienced American troops would fight valiantly for their
country.

For unknown reasons, the Americans actually fortified and fought
for Breed’s Hill instead of Bunker’s Hill.
But the battle was named after the neighboring hill they were sent to
defend.

The painting with this post is The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill. ElementaryHistoryTeacher over at History Is Elementary provides an
excellent explanation of the painting and how it relates to the battle here.

2 comments:

Warfare is a fascinating subject. Despite the dubious morality of using violence to achieve personal or political aims. It remains that conflict has been used to do just that throughout recorded history.